Safety can



O ct. 9, 1928.

F. S. BLANCHARD SAFETY CAN Filed July 13, 1927 nvezor T/andzard 5MM L? @.7

Patented Oct. 9, "19281.

UNITED 'Saffi-'nas f 1,687,120 `Pari-:NT OFFICE.

FOBREST'LS. BLANCHARD, OF STONEHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, .ASKSIGNOR' TO CAN COMPA.NY0F EVERETT, MASSACHUSETTS, A. CORPORA.TION 0F MASSACHUSETTS.

SAFETY CAN.

Application led July 13,

' This invention relates to safety cans used to store and dispense a limited quantity of gasoline, or other volatile liquid, such cans being used', for example, to carry, on a motor vehicle, a spare supply 'of' gasoline and dispense the same into the storage tank, or the vacuum tank of the vehicle, the can being provided with means for automatically closing the opening through which it is charged and through which liquid is discharged.

The obj ect of the invention is to provide a safety'can: of'improved construction, whereby the can may bel conveniently charged anu operated to dispense its charge, and whereby the storage space is automatically closed when the can is not in use.

Another object is to provide a closure for a safety can, adapted to yield to relieve internal gas pressure in the storage space, and to automatically close when the pressure is relieved.

Another object is to provide a safetyl can, the flexible dispensing hose of which is provided with a two-part nozzle, one part adapted for use in pouring into a. relatively large receiving orifice, andthe other into a smaller orice;

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificatiom- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a can embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a section onv the plane indicated 1by the line 2- 2 of Figure 1, omitting the ose.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view similar to a portion of Figure 2, showing the valve opened.

- Figure 4 isa fragmentary sectional view, showing the variable nozzle shown by Figure 1.

"The same reference characters indica-te the same parts in all ofthe figures.

A can embodying the invention is made of;

sheet metal, the parts being joined together in the usual manner. To simplify the. drawing, I have conventionally shown in Figures 2 and 3, parts which are lin section, Without indicating the joints and seams where the parts are united.

The body 12 of the can has theusual bottom 18, and is extended above the storage space 14, The upper end of the body is provided with a head 15, having a filling opening 16, provided with a closure 17, and a dispensing outlet, which preferably includes a nipple 18, fixed 1927. Serialv No. 205,495. v

The inner head 18 is funnel-shaped, and is preferably aninverted hollow cone frustuxin joined .at its larger end to the body` 12, and extending inwardly and downwardly from the outer head 15. The opening at the smaller inner end of the funnel-,shaped head communicates with the storage space 14, and is bounded by an annular valve seat 19 igure '3) which defines the passage through which liquid iiows to and from the storage space,

and is arranged so that whenr the valve hereinaterl described is closed iipon it, the storage space is tightly closed. l

The valve seat 19 may be provided in any suitable manner. In this instance, it is the upper end of a'metal ringr20, preferably of brass, soldered orotherwise secured to the inner head 18, said upper end being prefer- I ably ground', so that it constitutes an accurate valve seat.

Associated with the valve seat is a valve 21,

adapted vto bear closely on the seat 19, and

close ythe storage space. The valve is iixed to a stem 22, which is movable in a guide` in the outer head. i The valve is preferably composed of a disk of compressible material, such las leather, and metal disks Vor washers 23 and 24, one above and the other below the leather disk. The stem 22 passes through the members of the valve and may be secured thereto by any suitable means, such as cotter pins 25, inserted in the stem above and below the valve. The stem is provided above the outer head15, with a .pull handle including a grip member 26, whereby the stem may be moved to openthe valve. A spring 27, interposed between the outer head and the valve normally closes the valve on the seat 19.

The heads'15 and 18 form a space communicatingl with the filling inlet and the dispg'nsing outlet, the arrangement being such that when the valve is opened, as. shown by Figure 3, the storage space 14 may be charged through the filling inlet 16 and the inner head, and the can may dispense liquid through the inner head and the dispensing outlet, the inner head constituting both a `charging and a dispensing funnel. TheA valve opens outwardly, and is adapted to Ayield and relieve gas pressure caused by volamaaien of liquid .in the ank. when ai@ pressure is relieved, the valve is automatically closed by the spring. e

To facilitate the operation of the can and the opening of the valve, I provide a lifting handle fixed to the outer head 15, and including a grip member 30, located above and substantially parallel with the grip member 26 of the pull handle, the relative arrangement of the two grip members beingv such that digits of a hand grasping the member 30 may be applied to the grip member 26 to open the valve, either when the can bears on a lupport, or is supported by the operators Although theinner head 18 and the valve 21 constitute a liquidi-tight end or head portion of the can, adapted to prevent escape of liquid from the storage space, when the valve is closed, I prefer to embody in the can a supplemental head 31, wpreferably having the usual form of a fuiste-conical can breast.

' The larger end of the head 3l is joined to the body 12, and its smaller end to the inner ,head 18, outside the valve seat 19. The supplemental head braces and supports the funnel-shaped inner head 18, and the valve seat against the pressure ofthe spring 27, and constitutes a conical top of the storage space,

preventing the pocketing of gas under the funnel-shaped head 18. All gas accumulating in the storage space-14 is permitted by the supplemental head 31- to escape through the opening surrounded by the valve scat, when'the valve is opened b the gas pressure, he gas escaping through t e dispensing outet 18. f

rlhe ring 20 on which thevalve seat 19 is Iformed, may be extended downwardly, as shown by Figure 2, so that it form a tube projectin into the storage space and provided wit perforations 32, permitting liquid to enter the storage space 14, and to be dispensed therefrom. The tube has a bottom 33 in which is an orifice fqrming a guide `for the lower end portion of the valvestem 22. Gas accumulating in the .storage space 14 enters the tube and opens the valve when its f pressure is sufficient to overcome the spring.

The can body may be provided with any suitable lower grip member adapted to be grasped by one hand of the operator, to tip the can# when the latter is lifted by a hand y grasping the grip member 30, and manipulating the grip member26 of the valve stem handle. The lower gri member, in this instance, is provided by a ange 34:' projecting below the bottom 13.

: .To the free @dei the flexible 110561190, is f' eo fixed'a relatively large nozzle 35, adapted to be inserted in the filling orifice ofthe storage tank of a motor vehicle. 36 designates a smaller `nozzle or reducer adapted to be removably connected with thenozzle 35, and formed to enter the receiving orifice of a bility of the accidental opening` of the valve.

C The tube provided with the perforations 32, and the stem-guiding bottom or portion j 33 constitutes'a foraminous partition interposed between the 'inner head 18 and 4the storage space of the can, and so arranged that all liquid entering theL storage space flows through said perforations from the inner head, and all liquid dispensed from the storage space flows through the perforations to the inner head.

Said foraminous partition is adapted also to prevent the ignitio of gas` and liquid in ,the storage space by g s ignited outside the partition, so that should gas be accidentally ignited above the storage space, and outside the' partition, back iringlto gas in the'storage space is prevented by t e partition.

y I claim:

1. A safety can comprising a body, av b'ottom,an outer head having a filling inlet and a dis ensing outlet, a funnel-shaped inner head joined at its largeren'd to the body, ex-

tending inwardly and downwardly'from the outer ead, and having a central opening communicating with the storage spaceof the can, and bounded by an upwardly facing valve seat, a valve formed to bear on the valve seat, a stem fixed to the valve, `movable in a guide in the outer head, andl provided above the outer head -with a pull handle, and 'a spring interposed between the outer headl and the valve, and normally closing the valve on the seat, the outer and inner heads forming a space communicating with the lfilling inlet, the dispensing outlet and the storage space, the arrangement being such that when the valve is opened, the storage space may be charged through the filling inlet and the inner head, and the can may dispense liquid throu'ghthe inner head and the dispensing outlet, the valve .being adapted to yield and relieve gas pressure within the storage space.

2. A safety can as specified by claimrl, the pull handle including a grip member at' .its upper portion, the can being provided with4 a lifting handle fixed to the outer head and grip member of the pull handle, the arrangement being such that a hand grasping the. grip member. of the lifting handle may also engage the grip member of the pull handle to open the valve.

3. A safety can as specified by claim 1, comprising also a supplemental internal head joined to the body and vto the mner end of including a grlp member spaced above the the inner head, and supportin the valve seat against the pressure of the va ve spring, said supplemental head constituting the top of the storage space, and preventing the pocketing of gas under the inner head.

'4. A safety 'can as specified by claim 1, comprising also a foraminous tube fixed to the inner head and surrounding and extending downwardly from the opening thereof, the end of the tube being open and formed to constitute the valve seat, the tube being provided with a bottom having'a guiding orifice through which the valve stem extends.

5. A safety can' having a flexible dispensing spout fixed at one end to the can and provided at its free end M 1th a nozzle adapted to be inserted in a relatively large receiving inlet, and with a reducer composed of a smaller nozzle having an annular plug removably insertible in the larger nozzle, the two nozzles being flexibly connected by a tether.

In testimony whereof I have aixed my signature.

FORREST S. BLANCHARD. 

